Tag Archives: Ben Haggard

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE for a gallery from this Grammy rehearsal. From left, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard and Blake Shelton perform during rehearsals for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Grammy Awards will take place on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. (Photo: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

LOS ANGELES -- For Blake Shelton, Christmas morning came on a mild January afternoon, on a big stage at a bigger arena, in downtown Los Angeles.

Shelton strode onto that stage with three of his music heroes, Country Music Hall of Famers Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. And anyone who doubts contemporary star Shelton's admiration for his country predecessors would do well to see his wide-eyed appreciation of them.

"This is an absolute dream come true, well beyond being nominated for a Grammy," Shelton said. Asked if it made him feel like one of the team to be onstage with three all-time greats, Shelton said, "It doesn't make me feel like one of them as I can't imagine how I could be, but what I do know is it does give me bragging rights to my generation."

The quartet's segment for Sunday night's Grammy Awards opens with Nelson and Kristofferson singing "The Highwayman," a Jimmy Webb-penned song that gave name to the long-ago supergroup of Nelson, Kristofferson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. Then it shifts to an all-sing version of the Nelson hit "Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" -- in rehearsal, Haggard amused his fellow singers with a more-than-passable imitation of Nelson's nasal vocals and jazz-inflected phrasing -- and ends with everyone contributing to a rousing take on Haggard's smash "Okie From Muskogee."

"We enjoy each other's company, so it's something special to be able to work together," Haggard said. "I think it's great for us to be part of anything at our age."

Haggard was most pleased that his son, 21-year-old guitar virtuoso Ben Haggard, is sharing his Grammy moment.

"Benny being in the band at the Grammys, that's wonderful," Haggard said. "That makes it a highlight for me."

Kristofferson, who on Saturday will collect a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, said he felt like anything but a wise and accomplished elder when singing with Haggard and Nelson.

"I feel like I've got to pinch myself up there," he said. "I'm with two of the biggest heroes of my life. It's like I'm standing with the Beatles, and I'm treated with respect, like I belong up there."